Payback
by malic124
Summary: It's John Adams Foster and his twin Jack's 18th birthday. Their families come together and celebrate, while an unexpected gift arrives for John and Jack.
1. Celebrations

John's phone buzzed, catching John's attention from the book he was reading. He put the book down and reached over for his phone, which had a message from Jack.

 _Happy almost birthday!_ _Can't wait to see you tomorrow and meet your grandparents!_

John smiled at the text before responding.

 _Happy almost birthday! Can't wait to see you, too! You're gonna love all the grandparents!_

Once the message was sent, John put his phone back down and returned to the book. About 30 seconds later, his phone buzzed again, this time with a message from Noah.

 _Can't wait to see you! What time should I come over tomorrow?_

John quickly typed back a reply.

 _Anytime after 3 should work. I know we're going to lunch and it could be a while. I'll text you if we stay at lunch forever._

Before putting his phone back, John waited for Noah's reply.

 _Great! Can't wait to give you your gift. Love you._

John smiled.

 _Love you, too._

* * *

Jude crept over to John's bed. Once he was beside it, he smiled mischievously as he watched John sleep before he jumped onto the bed and started shaking John.

"Get up!" he shouted as John stirred away, looking slightly irritated, but also smiling. "It's your birthday! Wake up!"

"All right, all right," John said in a tired voice. He sat up, stretching and yawning. "What time is it?"

"7:30," Jude replied excitedly. "Gram and G-pa are headed over right now and grandma Sharon is already downstairs. You'd better go say hello."

John chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I'd better. Let me make myself a little more presentable and I'll be right down."

"Make it fast," Jude said, leaping off the bed and heading toward the door to go downstairs. "Can't keep grandma waiting."

"Yeah, yeah," said John, standing up and stretching a little more before heading into the bathroom to freshen up. Once he had washed his face and gotten dressed, he headed downstairs and toward the kitchen, where all of the adults were chatting around the table. His siblings were sitting in the living room.

"Happy Birthday!" Stef, Lena and Sharon yelled as John walked into the kitchen. He grinned, slightly embarrassed, as Stef and Lena embraced him in a mama sandwich with hugs.

"18, John!" Stef exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "When did our baby grow up?"

"About the same time as Brandon and Callie," John replied, causing them all to laugh. Once Stef and Lena finally released him, Sharon stood up and pulled John into a hug.

"Happy Birthday, honey," she said as they hugged.

"I'm really glad you're here," John said.

"Of course. You think I'd miss my grandson's big day? No, sir."

They all laughed and started to sit around the table. Lena, however, walked over to the coffee pot.

"Can I get you some coffee, John?" she asked.

"That can count as my present," John answered, causing everyone to laugh again.

Lena poured John a mug of hot coffee and brought it over to John, who blew on it and took a small sip. She sat down next to Stef.

"So, when are Gram and G-pa coming?" John asked.

As if an answer, there was a knock at the door.

"I'm willing to bet that's them," Stef said. "Hey Brandon, can you get that?" she shouted into the living room.

A few moments later, they heard exclamations at the front door as Dana and Stewart arrived and hugged Brandon. Shortly after, Brandon appeared in the kitchen with them following him.

"John!" Dana exclaimed, putting her purse down and rushing over to John and pulling him into a hug. "Happy Birthday, honey!"

"Oh, thank you, Gram," John replied as he hugged her. "And thank you so much for coming!"

"Of course!" Dana said as they broke apart and she sat down. "We had to be here for your big day and to meet your twin brother."

"Yeah, when is our equally handsome other grandson coming over?" Stewart asked as he walked up to John and hugged him, too.

"He'll be here with David and Margaret around 10 and then we'll head to lunch."

"Speaking of which," Stef said. "Where would you like to go, John?"

"I think I'd like to try some place I've never been."

"Oooh, I know," Sharon piped up. "How about we go to Farrell's? It's about an hour drive from here and they have a fantastic menu and those big ice cream sundaes are perfect for the birthday boys!"

"Sounds good to me," John said.

"Great! I'll call and get us a reservation!"

* * *

Right at 10:00, there was a knock at the door. John hurried to the door and opened it. Jack stood with David and Margaret in the doorway, smiling.

"Hi!" John exclaimed, pulling his twin into a hug. "Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday! I'm so glad we can be together for a change!"

"Me, too," John said, breaking the hug. He gave Margaret a quick hug and shook David's hand. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," David said.

"We can't wait to meet the rest of your family," Margaret added.

"Yes, please come in," John said, gesturing them inside. Once they were in, he shut the door behind them and led them toward the kitchen.

"Everyone!" John said, causing everyone in the kitchen to quiet down. "Moms, I guess no introduction is needed here, since you've met everyone. But, Gram, G-pa and Grandma, this is my twin brother, Jack," he said, gesturing to his twin. "And these are his parents, David and Margaret. And this is my Gram, Dana, G-pa Stewart and Grandma Sharon."

"It's great to meet all of you," Dana said, standing up and walking toward John and Jack. "Everyone calls me Gram, Jack," she added, shaking his hand. "And thank you both for coming today, it's wonderful to meet you both," she said to David and Margaret as she shook their hands, followed by Stewart and Sharon.

"Hey, I left my sleeping bag and pillow in the car," Jack whispered into John's ear. "Can you help me with it?"

"Sure," John whispered back. "Jack and I will be right back," he said in his regular voice. "We're gonna put his sleeping stuff in my room."

The twins quickly left the kitchen and headed back toward the front door. David turned to Stef and Lena.

"Thanks so much for letting Jack stay the night," he said. "He really wanted to be with John on his birthday."

"Of course," Stef replied.

"We're happy to host him," Lena added.

* * *

Back in John and Jude's room, John helped Jack carry his sleeping back and pillow into the room and set them down on the floor. Once they caught their breath again, Jack spoke.

"I'm glad we can be alone for a minute," he said. "I wanted to give you your birthday present now."

John chuckled. "I wanted that, too. It's like we think alike or something."

Jack laughed as he pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to John. John took it and opened it. Inside the box was a ring. He took the ring out of the box and examined it.

"It's my high school class ring," Jack explained. "I wanted you to have a part of me with you at all times."

"I love it," John said, close to tears. He took the ring and placed it onto his right ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

"I'm glad it fits," Jack said.

"Me, too," John replied, wiping a tear away. "OK, enough of that." He reached over to his desk and picked up a small box. He handed it to Jack. "Happy Birthday."

Jack took the box and opened it. Inside was a locket with a "J" on it. He picked up the necklace and opened it. On each side of the open locket was a picture of John and Jack.

"I love it," Jack said, also starting to tear up. "Thank you so much."

John walked closer to Jack and pulled him into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Everyone sat together around a large table at Farrell's after lunch. They were chatting animatedly when they heard clapping and noticed a group of Farrell's staff walking toward them. Two of the servers were carrying sundaes. Once the staff reached their table, the two servers placed the sundaes in front of John and Jack, who were sitting next to each other.

"All right, everyone!" shouted one of the servers. "John and Jack are celebrating their 18th birthday today! Let's wish them a Happy Birthday!"

She counted off "1, 2, 3, 4" before joining the rest of the servers in clapping and singing.

"Happy, happy birthday from Farrell's staff to you," they sang. "We wish it was our birthday so we could party, too. Hey!"

With that, the staff retreated from the table and the rest of the restaurant resumed what they were doing.

John glanced over at Stef and Lena, who were laughing uncontrollably.

"Another birthday surprise?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. "You shouldn't have."

Moms laughed again, barely able to get a few words out.

"Happy Birthday, Love," Stef said in between laughs.

"Glad we could embarrass you again," added Lena.

* * *

Everyone pulled into the driveway of the house. Sitting on the porch waiting for them was Noah. John walked with Jack, Stef and Lena toward the front door. Noah stood up and smiled at John, who pulled him close and kissed him.

"Happy Birthday," Noah said while they hugged.

"I'm really glad you're here," John replied.

"Of course," said Noah. "I wouldn't miss it for anything." They broke their hug and Noah smiled at Jack. "Happy Birthday to you, too, Jack."

"Thanks," Jack replied.

They all entered the home and waited for everyone else to park and enter the house.

"Hey, boys, we're gonna do presents now, so why don't you all head into the kitchen and everyone else will join you?" Lena suggested.

The boys all walked into the kitchen as the front door opened and everyone else started to pile into the house. There was a general commotion as everyone filed into the kitchen and settled in.

"OK, OK, present time, everyone!" Stef announced. "Everyone get the boys' presents out and we can watch them open!"

Everyone rummaged around, reaching for their presents for the boys. While they did, Brandon walked up to John and passed him an envelope.

"Hey, John, this is for you," he said. "I checked the mail and this was all that was in it."

"Thanks," John said, taking the envelope and glancing at it. It was an official-looking letter with a return address of a lawyer's office in downtown San Diego. Frowning, John opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

 _Dear John Adams Foster,_

 _My name is Bill Shuman and I'm an attorney specializing in life insurance policies. I am contacting you on behalf of your birth parents, Henry and Monica Foster. I understand your 18_ _th_ _birthday is nearing, or is already here, in which case I want to wish you a Happy Birthday._

 _The reason I'm contacting you is about the life insurance policy for you and your twin, Jack Olson, that your birth parents took out for you both when you were born. Their will states the two of you are to split money received by this insurance policy. In addition, it was designed to go into effect once the both of you turned 18. In total, the policy is worth $50,000 each for you and your twin. The money is yours to use, but I would like to request a meeting with the both of you at your earliest convenience._

 _My contact information is listed at the bottom of this letter under my signature. Please feel free to contact me whenever you are available and we can set up an appointment._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Bill Shuman_

 _Attorney_

John had to reread the letter twice to make sure he wasn't mistaken. But there it was, clear as day.

"What's up, Love?" Stef asked once everyone was situated.

John looked up. He had almost forgotten about everyone else in the kitchen with them. "It's a letter from a Bill Shuman, an attorney who specializes in life insurance policies," he explained.

"Why would he be contacting you?" asked Lena.

"To let me know that the life insurance policies taken out by my birth parents are now mine and Jack's to use. He wants to set up a meeting with us to figure out how we are going to get the money."

"How much is it worth?" Sharon asked.

John hesitated, glancing at the letter again before looking back up and directly at Sharon. "It's $50,000 each."


	2. Expectations

"$50,000, John? Are you sure?" Stef asked with a look of shock on her face.

"That's what it says," John replied, handing the paper to her. Stef took it and quickly looked over it as Lena walked over to her.

"Did you know about this?" asked Lena.

"No, I had no idea," Stef said. "I mean, I knew there must be some sort of inheritance for John, but I didn't think they actually took out a life insurance policy." She looked up and faced John. "I think you should check your mom and dad's things, Love. Maybe there's something in there that will help explain this."

"Well, that can wait," Sharon interjected. "It's the boys' birthday and it's time for them to open their presents, so why don't we do that first?"

"Yes, I agree," added Dana. "Let's get all of these presents opened and then we'll figure out what's going on with this letter."

Stef and Lena glanced at John, who nodded at them. "Yeah, let's do presents first and then Jack and I will go through the box and see if we can find anything," he said.

* * *

About 20 minutes later, John led Jack and Noah to the garage, where he grabbed the box full of his parent's old things before walking with them toward the back porch. Once they were situated, John opened up the box and started pulling items out and spreading them across the porch.

"What are we looking for?" Jack asked.

"Not entirely sure," replied John. "I'm sure our birth parents had a will that would specify something like that, or maybe there's some information from the insurance company that would help explain all of this. Or maybe, if we're lucky, we'll find something for both."

"How about I take some of these papers and start going through them?" Noah offered.

John nodded. "That's a good idea; we'll be able to get through all of this stuff faster." He pulled out some papers and folders and handed them Noah, who started shuffling through them. Jack took a pile, too, and starting looking through them. John took the final pile of items and started to sort them out to find some answers. After searching through for about 10 minutes, Noah suddenly piped up.

"I think I found something!" he announced, holding up a piece of paper. John crawled over to him and took the paper. "I think it's your birth parents' will," Noah said.

"Great," said John. "This should have something in it. I'll read it and you two keep looking to see if you can find anything about life insurance."

John took a closer look at Henry and Monica's will while Jack and Noah continued to prowl through papers. As he read the will, he learned that his parents did indeed set up a life insurance policy that would benefit both him and Jack. Their will specified the twins would receive all money from the policy on or about their 18th birthday, or would receive notice of the policy by the same date. After reading through the will twice to make sure he was reading everything correctly, Jack piped up.

"Hey, I found something about a life insurance policy," he said, holding up another piece of paper. "If I'm reading this right, it sounds like Henry and Monica paid for life insurance when we were born."

"And this says we are to be informed about the policy on or about our 18th birthday," John added, referring to the will. "This has got to be all of it. Let's get this cleaned up and tell the others."

* * *

Back in the kitchen, the boys presented the papers to David.

"If we're reading these right, then we are the beneficiaries for a life insurance policy our birth parents paid for when we were born," John explained.

"Dad, you're a lawyer," added Jack. "Can you have a look at that and make sure we're right?"

"Of course," David said, pulling out his reading glasses and taking a look at the will and the life insurance paper. After glancing at them for several seconds, he looked up, taking off his glasses. "Yes, this is definitely a life insurance policy by your birth parents, boys. And their will states you were to be informed about it on or about your 18th birthday, so the insurance company certainly did their part."

"What do you recommend?" asked Stef.

"I would say John and Jack should meet with the lawyer who sent them the letter about the policy," said David. "I can be there with them to go over any legal things, if you wouldn't mind me representing John as his attorney."

"Does he need an attorney?" Lena asked, sounding concerned.

"It can't hurt," David replied. "Everything seems to be in order here, but I would suggest having a lawyer in the room just to make sure everything is handled by the book. I'm happy to be there for both boys."

"Yeah, I think that should be fine," Stef said. "Thank you, David."

"Uh, Grandma Sharon?" John suddenly piped up.

"Yeah, honey?"

"Can I — uh…can I speak with you privately for a minute?" John asked.

"Of course," Sharon said, standing up. "We'll be right back," she added to the others. John led her to the living room, where they sat down on the couch.

"Are you OK, John?

John sighed. "It's just a lot to take in," he said in a quiet voice. "I never would have thought that Mom and Dad would have paid for life insurance."

"They probably did it just to make sure you and Jack were OK financially in case anything every happened to them. And unfortunately, it did."

"What do I do with such a huge amount of money?" John asked. "It's not like I desperately need it or anything. My royalty checks from HarperCollins are enough for me financially for college that I'd only need a part-time job. What am I supposed to do with all of this money I'm suddenly in charge of? Grandma, what do you think?"

Sharon considered him for a moment before she answered. "I can't make the decision for you," she said, causing John to sigh. "Now, listen, I know that's not the answer you wanted to hear, but just hear me out here, John. I know you. And I know that whatever you do, it'll be the right thing. Just take some time to think about this and consider all of your options. I know you'll do the right thing."

John signed again before he nodded. "Thank you, Grandma," he said, pulling Sharon into a hug. "I love you."

"Oh, I love you, too, honey," Sharon replied as she squeezed John and gave him a kiss on the head. "Happy Birthday, John."


	3. Dream

John, Jude and Jack sat together in John and Jude's bedroom, chatting animatedly. It was getting close to 11 p.m., but the way they were talking, it was like it was the middle of the day. Just as the clock on John's desk clicked to 10:59, there was a knock at the door before Stef walked in.

"Hey, boys," she said. "I know you're all probably wanting to keep talking for a bit, but everyone else is heading to bed. So, five more minutes and then lights out, yes?"

"Sure, Mom," Jude said.

"John, you doing OK about what you found out today? And Jack?"

"Yeah, I'm good," replied John. "Just surprised."

"Same here," added Jack.

"If you guys wanna talk about it, just let us know in the morning, all right?"

"We will," John said, nodding.

"All right. Five more minutes of chatting _quietly_ , please. I'll see you boys in the morning. Happy Birthday, John and Jack."

"Thanks, Mom," said John.

"Yeah, thanks, Stef. And thanks for hosting us."

"Of course," Stef said, turning to leave the room. "Sleep well, boys."

Stef left the room and shut the door behind her. John turned to his brothers.

"I'm actually a little tired because _someone_ ," he added with a glance at Jude, who giggled. "Decided to wake me up at 7:30 this morning. How about we call it a night?"

"Works for me," said Jack. "I'm getting pretty tired, myself."

"Yeah, me too," added Jude.

Jack got off the bed and started to fan out his sleeping bag to get it ready. Jude quietly walked over to his bed and got into it. Once all three of them were situated, John turned off the light.

"Good night, guys," he said.

"Good night," Jack and Jude replied, lying down.

John was about to take his glasses off and lay down when he noticed his phone buzz on his desk. He reached over and grabbed it, seeing a message from Noah.

 _Hope you had a great birthday. See you soon. Love you._

John smiled as he typed out a reply.

 _Thanks, Noah. It was pretty awesome. Thanks for being there today. Love you, too._

Once he sent the message, he put his phone back on his desk and took off his glasses before laying his down and slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

John slowly opened his eyes. He noticed he was outside simply by the air he was breathing in. As he stood up, he realized he was dreaming. He looked around. He was in a meadow and the weather was fall-like. He knew he had been here before.

"John," called Jack from behind him. John spun around and saw his twin walking toward him, dressed in his pajamas. "What's going on?"

"I have a hunch," John replied. "I've been in this meadow before in a dream. And it was when — " he cut off, hesitating.

"When what?" asked Jack.

"When we decided to pay him a visit," came a voice from behind them. John knew immediately who it was. He and Jack turned around and came face-to-face with Henry and Monica, their birth parents.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, looking confused.

"We're Henry and Monica," explained Henry, smiling gently at his sons. "We're your birth parents."

Jack's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe it.

"Oh my god," he whispered. "I can't believe it's really you."

Once Henry and Monica reached them, their parents hugged the twins. It wasn't a true hug, but the boys could feel the love of their parents rushing through them.

"So, what are you doing here?" John asked. "Last time, you met Connor, so I'm guessing you wanted to officially meet Jack?"

"And to apologize for not telling you about the life insurance policy," said Monica. "We know it must have come as a shock."

"When you both were born, we wanted to make sure you would be OK financially in case anything ever happened to us," Henry added. "That's why we signed up for life insurance; to make sure you both had everything you needed."

"Thank you for that," John said. "It was certainly a surprise. But definitely a welcome one, even if we don't necessarily need the money."

"Can I ask you something?" Jack interjected.

"Of course, Jack," Monica replied.

"When my parents, or I guess David and Margaret, moved because of my Dad's job, did you guys know about me? I mean, did you guys know what was going on in my life before you died?"

"We did," Monica said. "We kept in touch with your parents when they moved to make sure you were doing all right. We knew when we agreed to let them adopt you that they would be wonderful parents. And they are. They've done right by you, Jack. We made the right decision in allowing them to be your parents."

"But that doesn't mean we don't love you any less," added Henry. "We love you as much as John. We just wanted to do something for our dear friends who could not have a baby on their own, so that's why we agreed to let them adopt you."

Jack considered all of this for a moment before nodding. "Thank you for keeping in touch with them and making sure I was OK. And thank you for letting them be my parents. You're right; they are wonderful."

"We wouldn't have given you up for adoption if they weren't," said Monica. "We're so proud of the both of you."

"And we wanted to tell you in-person, if you can call this in-person, a happy birthday," Henry said.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad," John said. "And thank you for the last gift. Do you have any requests with the money?"

"None," Henry answered. "The money is yours to use as you see fit. I would recommend you save it for something you truly need, such as a car or a home, but the money is for the both of you to use as you need it."

John nodded. "I don't know about Jack, but I don't truly need all of it at once, or anything. I think I'll put it into savings."

Henry and Monica nodded before turning to Jack.

"Yeah, I don't really think I need it all right this second, either," he said. "I think I'll put it into savings, too."

"If that's what you both want," Monica said. "Go for it."

In the distance, they could all hear Stef's voice calling out John, Jack and Jude's names. They knew it must be morning and that it was time for the dream to come again. In sync, they stepped forward and hugged again as a light grew around Henry and Monica, signaling the end of the dream.

"Goodbye, boys," Henry said. "We'll always be with you, no matter what. Always."

"Take care of each other," Monica added. "And give the rest of the family, and David and Margaret, all of our love. If you ever need us, just look into your heart. We're so proud of you, boys. We love you."

"We love you, too," John and Jack replied as the light consumed Henry and Monica and they disappeared. A similar light formed around them as Stef's voice grew louder, followed by a gentle thumping noise.

"Guess it's time to wake up," Jack said.

"Guess so," John replied as the light consumed them. "See you in a few minutes."


End file.
